Tobacco-box.



PATENTBD JAN. 22, 1907.

M. B. BEHRMAN.

TOBACCO BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY s1. 190e.

' mnulmllllull A TTOHNE YS THE NaRRIs PETERS co.. wAsmNuraN. D. c.

y in its general form,

MARCUS B. BEHRMAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

TOBACCO-BOX.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

. Application filed July 31, 1906. Serial No, 328,525.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, MARCUS B. BEHRMAN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Boxes, of which the following is ay specification. j

'My invention is an improvement in that class of pocket tobacco-boxes which are pro-4 vided with a cutting attachment for severing from a plug portions or sections of ka ysite adapted for chewing.

The construction, arrangement, and combination of parts embodying my invention are as hereinafter described andy claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved box, the cutter being shown extended or drawn out. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the box with the cutter in the position indicated in Fig. 1. dinal section on theline 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the line k4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the cutter detached. Fig. 7y is anenlarged cross-section illustrating the construction, or manner of forming, of the longitudinal partition of the box. v

As shown in Fig. l, the box is rectangular it being somewhat elongated andv narrow in one cross-section. It is divided -by -a central longitudinal into two compartments and y. pecially Fig. 2.) The compartment Qc is to contain a plug or section of a complete plug andA is therefore termed the storage-compartment. -The adjoining compartment y is for holding the plug or plug-section from which portions are cut oft" as required for chewing. A slide 2 isarranged in this compartment y, and a longitudinal slo,t(see Fig.V

. l) is provided4 in the box propenthrough which a portion of the slideprojects, whereby it is adapted to serve as a thumb-piece for use in adjusting the slide '2 as re uired to project the contained plug more or ess'from the mouth or upper end of the compartment. A cutter 3, (see Fig. 6,) consisting of a flat straight piece of steel having one end sharpened and the other provided with an venlargement that serves as a shoulder or thumb piece, is arranged in the upper end of the box andheld in suitable guides, in which it may be slid as required for cutting off a lplug or Fig. 3 is a longitupartition (See esdrawing the blade out to the position shown in Figs. v1 and 2. The cutter is provided with a spring-stop 4, by which its withdrawal from the box is prevented. The stop is formed by cutting a tongue out of the body or central portion of the blade and providing the same .at its free end with a shoulder adapted to engage the lip or flange in the side of the box and forming the upper edge of the slot through whichthe cutter slides. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the free end of the stop 4 normally'projects upward, so that engagement with the flange 5 is assured, and at the same time it will be apparentthat by depressing such tongue so that it lies flush with the body of the blade 3 the latter may be .entirely withdrawn fromthe box, as may be required for sharpening or other urpose'.

As shown in Fig. 2, it wil be seen that when the blade is withdrawn as far as permitted by the stop 4 it lies over and covers that end of the compartment x.. In other words, it forms at all times, whether fully closed orwithdrawn, as indicated in Figs. l and 2, a complete closure or cover for the storage-compartment 9c.A The lower or op-` posite end of the said compartment is formed by a cover 6, having the spring-hinge 7, by which it is held normally closed The dotted lines in Fig. 2 indicate the position 'to which the said .door 6 maybe opened to allow insertion of a tobacco-plug in the storage-compartment It is obvious that plugs or plugsections are inserted in the dispensing-compartment y by inserting them through the mouth formed at the upper end. ofl the box and for which the cutter 3 forms a cover or closure when shoved in. The blade or cutter 3 slides inside guides which are formed bycrimps or offsets 8, formed in the body of the box, and therefore integrally therewith. As shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the metal forming the upper edge of the box is bent or curved inward at 9 and extends downward internally,-so as'to form a smooth edge for the box proper and also a portion of the The crimps 8 are guide for the blade 3. formed in the process of striking up the metal to form the box, and thus guides for the knife .areproduced more economically than would be practicable by soldering metal strips in the mouth of the box for this purpose. The partition between the two compartments@ y is also formed by integral crimps or inward bends of the sides of the box. As indicated plainly in Fig. 7, each of ICO IIO

the crimps l0 l0a extends inward part way suflices to keep the plugs of the storage and dispensing compartments duly separated.

The crimp l0 is formed by simply forcing inward the metal composing that side of the box, and the crimp l0a is formed by bending inward the adjacent edges of the metal comj j piece from the plug in the other compartacross the narrowest width of the box, which i ment, and form a closure for the same, subposing the body of the box and forming a i seam or joint by arranging one edge to overlap the other.

It will be seen that a plug may be quickly inserted in the storage-compartment by sim- 1 ply opening the door 6 to the extent indicated b dotted lines Fig. 2 and that b ady I y justing the slide 2 the plugin the dispensingcompartment i/ may be projected more or less, as also indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, and then by forcing the blade 3 inward it will sever such projecting portion and at the same time close the mouth of the dispensing-compartment, so that the box is ready to be returned to the pocket of the user. My improved box may be cheaply and durably constructed is adapted, to be conveniently carried in the pocket, and to contain and protect tobacco plugs, and to be easily and quickly operated when it is required to sever a portion of a plug for chewing. Thus the trouble and inconvenience attending the use of a pocket-knife for cutting a plug are avoided.

1. The improved tobacco-box having a 4central longitudinal partition by which the box is divided into two compartments, one for storage oi* a plug and tne other for holding a plug from which portions may be severed as required, a cutter adapted to form au;

constant closure for one of the compartments and to be adjusted for cutting .off a chewingstantially as described.

2. An improved tobacco-box having a central longitudinal partition whereby it is divided into two compartments for storage and dispensing purposes, a cutter adapted to slide in guides formed at the mouth of the box and provided with a stop which limits its withdrawal so that it forms a constant closure for the storage-compartment but is adapted to alternately uncover and close the dispensingcompartment, substantially as described.

3. An improved tobacco-box having a central longitudinal partition, dividing it into storage and dispensing compartments, a cutter consisting of a blade arranged in suitable guides in the mouth of the box, and adapted to slide through a slot formed in one of the narrow sides of said box and provided with a spring-stop which normally arrests the cutter when partly withdrawn, but may be compressed to the position required to allow complete detachment of the cutter, substantially as described.

4. An improved tobacco-box comprising a storage-compartment and a dispensing-compartment, and an intervening partition, the storage-compartment having a door at one end, and the opposite end of the box being provided with a cutter adapted to slide in suitable guides, whereby it maybe withdrawn to uncover the mouth of the dispensing-compartment, but forms a constant closure for the adjacent end of the storage-compartment, substantially as described.

MARCUS B. BEHRMAN Witnesses t PHILIP P. BENZER, WM. SPILMAN. 

